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HARVARD UNIVERSITY, CAMBRIDGE, MA 02138 BARKER CENTER, 3RD FLOOR April 25, 2004
His Excellency Hu Jintao, President
Via : Chinese Ambassador Yang Jiechi Dear President Hu, On this, the second anniversary of Dr. Yang Jianli's detention on April 26, 2002 in Kunming, China, we members of the Harvard faculty are writing again to reiterate our deep concern regarding his case. Dr. Yang received his doctorate from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in 2000 and is highly regarded as a scholar and a great humanitarian. Several months ago, in response to a letter expressing our concern about Dr. Yang's plight, in a letter endorsed by over 100 faculty from Harvard University on the occasion of Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to our campus, Ambassador Yang replied that China is a country "ruled by law" and that Dr. Yang's case is being handled "in accordance with law." Specifically Article 168(1) of the Chinese Criminal Procedure Law requires that a verdict be issued within two-and-one-half months of a trial. However, Dr. Yang has been held now for almost eight months beyond the date of his trial, which was held on August 4, 2003. Because he is being detained in violation of Chinese law, we are urgently requesting that he be released, forthwith, to his family. Dr. Yang's wife, Christina Fu, who works at Harvard Medical School, is a valued member of our community. They have two young children, Aaron, age 8, and Anita, 11, and, as you most certainly must understand, Dr. Yang's detention is a cause of continual pain and suffering for his family. In Premier Wen's speech at Harvard last December, he told us, "A deeper mutual understanding is a two-way process." In that spirit, we wish to state that we firmly believe that Dr. Yang's continued detention - as well as the fact that he was held for over a year in solitary confinement, without access to his family or legal counsel and without access to reading materials or exercise - has been more than sufficient punishment. We sincerely hope that you will take the time to understand our plea, as well as the implications and importance of Dr. Yang's immediate release not only for the Harvard community but also for the greater cause of world justice. Thank you, Mr. President, for your consideration of our heartfelt appeal.
Respectfully, --
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Donald Fanger *
Widener Study "L" *
Harvard University *
Cambridge, MA 02138 *
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617 495-4092 *
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